Review: Frida Kahlo

Title: Frida
Kahlo

Author: Adam G.
Klein

Publisher: ABDO

Year: 2007

Library binding: 32 pages

Ages: 8 – 12

IBSN:
978-1596797314

Summary

Frida
Kahlo is part of the Great Artists series, which showcases the life of the most famous
artists of all time. Frida Kahlo was a renowned Mexican painter, whose works of
art represented Mexican culture. Self-portraits, Mexican heritage, and
surrealism characterized her art. However, she argued that her paintings were
about her life rather than dreams.

Kahlo suffered chronic problems throughout her
life. She had polio when she was a kid. The polio left her right leg disfigured.
She was seriously injured in a bus accident when she was eighteen years old. She
survived the horrible accident despite breaking her collarbone, two ribs, parts
of her spine, and her right leg and foot. Her shoulder dislocated. In addition
to these injuries, a metal handrail went through her abdomen. She had 35
operations over the course of her life. She never fully recovered.

This biography accounts how Kahlo persevered
and became a famous Mexican painter despite of all her hardships and chronic
pain. She spent a lot of time in bed after the accident and surgeries, but
continued to paint with a special easel. Her paintings were full of emotions
because she expressed her passions and depression through them. She finished
about 200 paintings.

Comments

In addition to recording Kahlo's life, this
book briefly discuses some of her most important paintings. She painted The Bus in 1929 after the accident. Self-Portrait on the Border Line Between
Mexico and the United States (1932) shows the contrast between the American
and Mexican cultures. The Two Fridas
(1939), her most significant work, displays her Mexican heritage from her
mother and her European heritage from her father. In 1954, she painted Viva la vida before she died.

This biography is an excellent resource for children
interested in art and taking art classes, and parents who want to teach their
kids about diverse artists. It is a relief for Hispanic parents to find a
biography about one of the most celebrated Hispanic artists of all time.